MindTrek returns September 20th/21st, 2017, Tampere, Finland

This will be the 21st time Mindtrek is organised. The event was first organised in 1997 at which time it was known by the name “Tampere Multimedia Competition”. In 2007 the event structure and target audience were reformed in a way that made the event more internationally attractive, with main themes including Future of Technology, Digital Information and Media. In 2015 COSS – the Finnish Centre for Open Systems and Solutions accepted the challenge of becoming the organiser of the conference, and at the same time some of the themes became Open Source and Open Data to represent the core business of COSS.

Back in the day when Mindtrek was born, there was a growing need to promote digital content and related business. In the 1990’s Finland was missing an all-encompassing digital content and technology conference, and there was an existing desire in Tampere to organise this kind of event. That was when the annual Mindtrek conference was launched.

What exciting things can people look forward to for the 2017 version?

Some of the most exciting things people can look forward to for Mindtrek 2017 are that there are 80 different sessions in 8 different events, all under one roof! This year we also have a Mixed Reality Hackathon using Nokia OZO products. We are also very excited to have Teemu Kinos, Co-Founder of Get Jenny, speaking about Jenny, his open source conversational engine that can handle up to 80% of customer support chats. It integrates directly into existing customer support platforms and already supports over 50 languages. We also have plenty of other great speeches by internationally known speakers from around the world such as Steven M. LaValle Chief Scientist of VR/AR/MR at Huawei Technologies, Smart City Guru Simon Giles from Accenture, and Brie Code, gamer, writer, AI programmer and CEO of Tru Luv Media. This is a truly international event that is about bringing people from different walks of life together to learn, share ideas, and network with new people and different companies. And we can’t forget The Official After-Party at Ilona Live Club!

What opportunities are on offer for people/startups /investors and companies attending?

There are several opportunities Mindtrek has to offer whether you are an individual, start-up, or other companies. For individuals, there is lots of time to network and meet like-minded people from many different sectors such as entrepreneurs, programmers, researchers, health-care decision makers, students and countless other professionals. There will be several enticing speeches to learn new things from, a Mixed Reality Hackathon using Nokia OZO products for small teams to participate in, and a Recruitment Event – Powered by ONNIVATORS to give talented individuals and Exhibitor Start-Ups and companies the opportunity to fill open job positions. There are 4 different Mindtrek Challenges available for groups or companies to compete in with 1500€ in cash prizes for the winners of the developers and start-up categories as well! Mindtrek Guru Sponsors will be given a speaker slot on the Keynote Stage at Mindtrek this year! Finally, taking part as exhibitors, companies will also get the opportunity to establish new partnerships and relationships with potential customers.

What tips would you give to people attending to get the most out of it?

Get familiar with our conference programme and all the different events or “tracks” that we have at www.mindtrek.org/2017/program. We will also launch a conference app a bit closer to the date, so stay tuned for that and make sure to download it on your phone prior to the event. This way you will have all the important information you need to know right in your pocket, including info about the speakers, program, venue, locations, exhibitors etc.

How can people book tickets?

Tickets can be bought online at www.mindtrek.org/2017/register. The Early Bird prices (-10% on all tickets) are valid till August 20th, 2017. After that you can still get tickets at regular price until the conference days.

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